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prayer in public schools

Americans United has pointed out many times that public schools need not be “religion-free” zones. There are ways students can meet for prayer or to read religious texts – but it has to be their choice.

In Georgetown, S.C., a local resident, Violet Infinger, had been coming onto school grounds for 10 years to pray with students and pass out religious literature. Read more

Note: Today is the federal observance of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. This blog post is a re-publication on an item that originally appeared on Jan. 13, 2006.

Today marks the federal observance of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. Since his tragic assassination on April 4, 1968, King's memory has been pressed into service in highly unusual ways that King himself would not have supported.

As the nation pauses to remember civil rights leader this year, it's a good time to take a look at what this great American leader really thought about church-state issues. Read more

This morning, my cell phone started buzzing about ten minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Groggy-eyed, I reached over and snatched it from my night stand. While usually I'm rather irritated by the idea of waking up even a moment too soon, I couldn't help but smile when I read the text message sent by one of my favorite friends.

The job of a public school teacher is to instruct young people in certain subjects – perhaps math, science, history or English. The job of a religious leader is to offer information about theology and how to interact with God. There should be no overlap.

Yet, occasionally, a teacher will get it into his or head to start preaching in the classroom. Whenever this happens, controversy quickly follows. Read more

Here's some news you might have missed: Newt Gingrich is trying to refashion himself yet again – this time as a moral leader who seeks to "renew" America.

No, no, I was not taken in by a story from The Onion. This is true. Yep, everyone's favorite serial adulterer, the mother of all toxic assets, Newt Gingrich wants to lecture you, me and everybody else on how to live a good, decent and Christian life. Read more

Ten years ago tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a so-called "Religious Freedom Amendment" sponsored by former Rep. Ernest "Jim" Istook of Oklahoma.

I remember the vote well. Americans United and its allies had mobilized a broad umbrella organization, the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, to oppose Istook's dangerous scheme. We worked on the issue for months. Read more